"What New Doctrine is This?" 



CMark 1, 27.) 



(From Vox POPULI, Lowell, Mass., Dec. 30, 18S1.) 
Years ago, Sydney H. Gay of New York, was moved to publish a history of 
this country, which book is now hawlied in this vicinity as "Bryant's History of 
the U. S." The work was well written, but it showed many misapprehensions 
as to the early colonial history of the present Massachusetts. Recently, the 
same author has felt called upon to attempt, in the Atlantic Ilonthly, the con- 
struction of a new history .of the Landing of the Pilgrims — a history based on Igno- 
rance of the locality described, on the misapprehension of one very plain rec- 
ord, the total overlooking of a second, and the suppression of a vital portion of 
a third. The Atlantic having found room for this efl'usion, declines to find room 
for a correction of its errors, saying that the subject has already been discuss- 
ed in the Boston Advertiser. That is, the Atlantic having been made the vehi- 
cle of false history, refuses to admit a correction, but prescribes the Advertiser 
as an antidote. For such Atlantic readers as may not have the excellent remedy 
in question, we give below the article which was not allowed to follow 
Mr. Gay's misconceptions, or whatever else they may be called in view of his 
treatment of Bradford's record ot Dec. 25, O, S., as described below. 



" When Did the Pilgriin FatJiers 
Jband at I*lyinouth?" 

Under this head, in November's At- 
laittic, Mr. S. H. Gay seeks to confute 
the common idea that the "Lauding" com- 
memorated on " Forefathers' Day," was 
on Dec. lllh, 1620, O. S., or the 21st, N. 
S. (The dates in this article will all be 
in Old Style, when not otherwise defined). 

It is agreed on all bauds that the Pil- 
grim explorers in their shallop, on Dec. 
10th, 1620, spent iheir Sunday at Clark's 
Island in the outer harbor of Plymouth, 
and that on the 11th they examined some 
pari of the inner harbor. The antiqua- 
ries of the Old Colony say that these ex- 
plorers then sounded the especial harbor 
of Plymouth, that they landed upon Plym- 
outh Kock, and decided the adjacent ter- 
ritory with its brooks and corn-fields, to 
be "the best they could find" for their 
new home. 

Mr. Gay dissents from all this. He 
claims that the explorers confined their 
soundings to the waters near Clark's Isl- 
and, and that their inspection of land 
was limited to the neighboring shores 
where now are Kingston and Duxbury. 
He therefore decides that on the day in 
question " nobody " landed on Plymouth 
Rock. He however alleges that on the 



25th of that month, there was at the Rock 
a "final disembarkation of the whole 
company," "when for the first time the 
women seem to have left the ship at 
Plymouth"; he also says that they all 
then " landed to stay." This he setsforth 
as the true Landing of the Pilgrims. He 
therefore would persuade us to celebrate 
the event, if at all, on Jan. 4th, N. S. 

Now this matter is not one of theory. 
Mourt's Relation contains a daily record, 
evidently kept by William Bradford, who 
was among the chief of the explorers ; 
and in this the facts are set forth with 
admirable clearness. Bradford records of 
this Dec. 11th:— 

"On Monday we sounded the harbor, 
and found it a very good harbor for our 
shipping- We marched also into tha 
land, and found divers corn-fields and lit- 
tle running brooks; a place very good 
for situation." 

In his large history he uses much the 
same language, with an addition, term- 
ing the spot " a place (as they supposed) 
fit for situation ; at least, it was the best 
they could find." \ 

The explorers then returning to Cape 
Cod, came back on the 16th, bringing 
their associates and their famous ship. 
The latter they took more than a quarter 



" WIIA7' JVUW DOCTRINE IS THIS?' 



G>=1 



of a mile within that natural breakwatei' 
known as "The Beach," mooring her as 
near Plymouth Rock as they safely could, 
although nearly a mile and a half away. 
No ship would even now be likely to find 
her way to that spot, unless the channel 
had been carefully sounded in advance. 
During the two days spent by the explor- 
ers on Clark's Island, low-water came 
near mid-day, and it revealed to even 
a casual glance, the vast flats along 
the opposite Kingston and Duxbury 
shores, and the unlitness for shipping of 
the whole vicinity of the Island. There 
was no need of sounding thereabouts. 
Moreover, Bradford says they did not go 
to "discover" in the Kingston region un- 
til eight days after. The fact of the May 
flower's entrance' and anchorage, is pret- 
ty good evidence as to the direction of 
the sounding. 

What laud was examined at this first 
exploration? Not Kingston, for that 
was not visited until eight days later, 
and notwithstanding what Mr. Gay says 
of its nearness to Clark's Island, it was 
as far away as Plymouth ; not Duxbury, 
for that was presumably covered with 
woods, and had none of the "little run- 
ning brooks" mentioned. The spot was 
pronounced "./Ji for situation," and '■'the 
l)est they could find." What these ex- 
plorers considered essential in a place for 
situation, is clearly shown by their jour- 
nal. A few days later, when some favored 
Kingston, it was rejected because so 
wooded that the ground could not be 
cleared in time for the spring planting, 
and was indefensible from the Indians; 
when Clark's Island was advocated by 
some on account of its security, it was 
objected to because covered with woods 
and sparsely supplied with fresh water. 
Pamet had already been voted down 
chiefly because of its lack of fresh water, 
although it had good corn-fields and was 
ii^nnttvp :\nd defensible." 

I whole circuit of Plymouth bay, 
i~ liiit one place which combined 
■ sentials they had just been 
':iu)et. The land adjacent to 
.yiiiuuui iiock comprised the broad 
iru-fleMs of the then defunct Patuxets; 
11/ was watered by a remarkable series of 
"little ninuiug brooks" of fine water, 
while Kingston and'Duxbury had noth- 
ing of the sort; it was defended in front 
by a tidal harbor, on the south by the 
strong barrier of Town Brook, on the 
west by Burial Hill, 165 ft. high ; the re- 
maining side was an open plain through 
which a line of palisade might easily be 
built so that the guns on the hill would 
cover it. For men seeking cleare J land, 
fine fresh water, and natural defenses, 
combined, Plymouth was an excellent 
site, and the onlv one there ! Bradford 



might have said in fewer words that this 
was the place selected by the explorers 
on December 11th, but he could hardly 
have said so more certainly. 

A week later, the verdict of the twelve 
explorers was to be acted upon by the 28 
of the brethren who had returned with 
them in the Mayflower. The pioneers 
would now be sure to take their associ- 
ates, first of all, to the place already ap- 
proved as "the best they could find." In 
fact, all of the first day of the view by 
fie whole company (Dec. 18thj, was de- 
voted to a region where they found an- 
cient corn-fields, " four or five small 
brooks of very sweet fresh water that 
all ran into the sea," and " the best wa- 
ter that ever we drank "; fish began to 
throng the brooks. The deposits of clay 
were worked, the sand and gravel beds 
found of good quality, eleven species of 
useful plants ex-' mined, the neighboring 
woods traversed and ten kinds of trees 
noticed. Why this minute investigation, 
when there were over twenty miles of 
harbor-shore yet unexamined? Evidently 
some very strong influence was holding 
the company to that place, and endeavor- 
ing to convince the doubters that it was 
" the best they could And." This again 
is a good description of the tract around 
Plymouth Rock, and of no other possible 
place ! Going northerly from that land- 
mark (which is close by a fine rivulet), 
the traveller finds five " littles running 
brooks," filtering from the diluvial* back- 
ground, and they "all run into the sea," 
except where recently diverted ; (one of 
them now finds its way thither through a 
pipe of 20 in. diameter). As before said, 
no such group of brooks as the Pilgrims' 
journal specifies, nor any such brooks, 
can be found at any other point around 
that bay. Mr. Gay asserts the contrary, 
but his map deceives him. The descrip- 
tion of the 11th means Plymouth; this 
description of the 18th means Plymouth. 
We have yet another description. 

On the 20th, it was voted to settle at 
Plymouth Rock. The journal says the 
settlement was to be "on the first place," 
where was much cleared land formerly in 
corn, and " many delicate springs of as 
good water as can be drank " ; the small 
craft could be kept in " a very sweet 
brook " under the hill-side, where would 
be " much good fish in their seasons." 
Nobody doubts this means Plymouth, or 
that the "delicate springs " include " five 
little running brooks." The three de- 
scriptions have so much in common, that 
any one accustomed to compare evidence, 
will be sure to decide that all relate to 
the same place. Aside from that, the 
fact IS positively proved by the " little 
running brooks "; they have washed the 
ground from under Mr. Gay's feet. 



G"! 



WHA T NEW DOCTRINE IS THIS ?' 



Now as to that "tinal disembarkation," 
that "true Forefathers' Day." On Dec. 
20th, after Plymouth had been definitely 
selected, " about 20 " remained on shore, 
and thenceforth the place was permanently 
inhabited. After a two-days' storm, so 
many as could, went on shore to work on 
the 23d, but at night they returned to the 
ship, leaving only the guard on land. 
Our critic makes the hold assertion, that 
on the next working-day the entire com- 
pany landed and remained ; and in sup- 
port of this statement, the sole evidence 
he produces is this extract from their 
journal : 

"Monday, the 25th day, we went on 
shore, some to fell timber, some to saw, 
some to rive, and some to carry ; so no 
man rested all that day." 

The reader will see that this in no wise 
sustains the idea of a " final disembarka- 
tion " ; but he will be not a liftle surpris- 
ed to learn that the above quotation is 
only a part of the entry in the journal, 
and that the suppressed portion contra- 
dicts Mr. Gay in direct language. Here 
is the full entry : 

" Monday, the 25th day, we went on 
shore, some fo fell timber, some to saw, 
some to rive, and some to carry ; so no 
man rested all that day. But towards 
night, some as they were at work, heard 
a noise of some Indians, which caused us 
all to go to our muskets ; but we heard 
no farther So we came aboard again, 
and left some 20 to keep the court of 
guard." 

This restored record leaves room for 
no further talk about that " final disem- 
barkation." Even without such positive 
evidence, it would have been absurd to 
suppose that the men of the company 
broucfht from the Mayflower's warm cab- 
in, 55 women and children with at least 
three infants, to live on shore in raid- 
winter before their first house had been 
begun, and when the toilers kept their 
muskets by them in constant dread of an 
Indian a'itack; when, too, the shelter of 
the ship was at their disposal, and not a 
few of both sexes were beginning to be 
disabled by a sickness already proving 
mortal. 

The journal mentions that the working 
men were in part still lodging in the ship 
January 1st; on the 9th their first build- 
ing had not received its roof; on the 14th 
those on board, being now the fewer, 
joined those on shore at worship, but on 
the loth a storm kept them from going 
on shore to work ; on the 26th their 
" common STOods " were landed ; finally, 
on March 21st, three months after Mr. 
Gay's alleged "final" lauding of "the 
•vhole company," their jourual says : 

" This day, with much ado, we got our 



carpenter that had long been sick of the 
scurvy, to fit our shallop and fktch all 
from on board." 

So there was no general landing. Dec. 
20th " about 20 " began to live on shore; 
at the close of the 25th, the number had 
not increased ; January 14th, the shore 
party was only somewhat the larger; as 
houses were ready, more came from the 
ship; and on March 21st, the last of the 
community was brought to land. 

Nearly a century and a half afterward, 
one of the great events involved was to 
be selected for perpetual commemora- 
tion. The initial landing at Plymouth 
seemed fittest for the purpose. In 1741, 
the good Elder Eaunce had solemnly 
identified Plymouth Rock, and had there 
in a peculiarly aflecting manner, repeated 
to the assembly what the Forefathers 
themselves had told him concerning the 
landing upon it. The last of that explor- 
ing party was John Howland, who did 
not die till Faunce was 27 years old; 
and at least twelve of the Mayflower's 
passengers survived Howland. Many of 
Elder Faunce's audience were active in 
1769, and in the light of what he had giv- 
en them so directly, they found it true 
that the first landing of the Pilgrims at 
Plymouth was during their exploration 
of Dec. 11th, and was on Plymouth Rock. 
Mourt's Relation would have given them 
the same fact as a matter of record when 
interpreted by their knowlege of the local 
topography, but it is not probable that a 
copy of the book was then to be found in 
all the Old Colony. 

But how is it to be inferred from the 
record, that the tradition is true as to the 
use made of that particular rock? The 
harbor-front of Plymouth has no ledges, 
and it is so shelving by nature that the 
Pilgrims must have found their heavy 
shallop unable, at most points, to ap- 
proach near enough for them to land 
without wading in the wintry sea. In a 
space of several miles, there was just one 
large rock in sight, and that was a boul- 
der brought from afar by some ancient 
iceberg; it weisihed near half-a-dozen 
tons, and as it lay at the water's edge, 
its flattish surface, perhaps three yards 
square, invited them to pass over it 
dry-shod to the adjacent corn-fields, 
whose treeless expanse must have been 
noticeable even from Clark's Island. The 
record practically says that they then 
visited that spot; direct tradition says 
that they used this rock as a landing- 
place, and topography joins common- 
sense in confirming the tradition. 

The article under review contains sev- 
eral errors of detail, which are here un- 
noticed because not essentially connected 
with Mr. Gay's great question — "Who, 
then, landed at Plymouth Rock on the 



WHAT NEW DOC THINE IS THIS? 



21st of December, 1620" (N. S.)? He 
answers — " Nobody." But history, tra- 
dition and geography, combine in reply- 
ing that then and there, the geological 
pilgrim iu question, became a " stepping- 
stone " for Myles Standish, John Carver, 
William Bradford, Edward Winslow, 
John Tilley, Edward Tilley, John How- 
land, Richard Warren, Stephen Hopkins, 
Edward Dotey, John Allerton and Thom- 
as English, twelve signers of the Pilgrim 
Compact; and that with them were John 
Clark and Robert Coppin, niaster's-mates 
of the Mayflower, with four of their 
crew. This great fact is not to be shaken 
by any skilful manufacturer of " historic 
doubts " ; it is founded on a Rock in more 
senses than one. 

John A. Goodwin. 

P. S. — As to the error of dating "Fore- 
fathers' Day'^ Dec. 22d, N. S., instead of 
21st, the explanation is simple; but per- 
haps the matter is of enough interest to 
justify a preliminary examination. In A. 
D. 325, the calendar was set right. The 
world then went on allowing 365 1-4 
days to each year, which was an over-al- 
lowance of 11 rain. 10 1-4 sec. This 
small error became so large by constant 
growth, that in 725, the calendar was be- 
tween three and four days behind the 
true recKoniug as shown by the sun. At 
the Norman invasion the difl'erence had 
Increased to six days ; at the discovery 
of America by Columbus, it was nine 
days. In 1582, the pope finding his fixed 
observances then falling ten days behind 
their seasons, called upon his philoso- 
phers for a remedy. By their advice ten 
d ys were added to the calendar, and fu- 
ture errors guarded against by this rule : 
" Years ending with two ciphers are not 
to be leap years, except when the number 
is an exact multiple of 400." The new 
system was soon adopted by the nations 
of continental Europe, save Russia and 
Turkey. It has, however, been found 
that even by this method, the calendar 



would be a day behind at about the year 
5500; and the imminent disaster has 
been relegated to an exceedingly remote 
future, by this addition to the above rule : 
" When a year is an exact multiple of 
4000, it is not to be a leap-year." 

The English are reputed formerly to 
have been a people strongly inclined to 
their own ways, a trait which may ac- 
count for their retaining their erroneous 
calendar iu preference to countenancing 
an innovation. Hence, when the Pilgrim 
explorers first landed on Plymouth Rock, 
their English reckoning made the day 
December 11th, 1620; but the sun then 
reaching his winter solstice, showed it to 
really be the 21st. By making a leap- 
year of 1700, this national miscount was 
increased to eleven days. At length, in 
1752, by order of parliament, the new 
calendar was adopted for Great Britain 
and her colonies, by calling the day next 
after September 2d the 14th. 

Matters of that sort were rarely stud- 
ied in those days, even by educated men. 
It is altogether probable that in 1761), not 
a person in the Old Colony knew much 
more of the case than that the old style 
had been turned into the European new 
style, by the addition of eleven days. So 
they most easily fell into the error of sup- 
posing this allowance of eleven days to 
be what the mathematicians call a " con- 
stant quantity," which would bring all old 
dates to the new reckoning prescribed by 
law. Is it impertinent to ask if the edu- 
cated men of to-day have a much clearer 
idea of the subject? The day which by 
the old calendars appears as December 
11th, would by the corrected reckoning 
be as follows for the successive centu- 



A. D. 325 - 


11th 


A. D. 1220 - - 


- 18th 


4-20 - - 


- - 12th 


1320 - . 


- 19th 


520 


- -)3th 


1420 - - 


- 20th 


620 - • 


- .14th 


1520 . . 


. 21st 


720 - - 


- .15th 


1620 . . 


- 2l8t 


820 - - 


. - ]5th 


1720 - - 


. 22d 


920 - - 


. - 16th 


1820 - - 


- 23d 


1020 - . 


- -ITth 


1920 . . 


- 24th 


1120 - - 


. . 18th 


2020 - . 


. 24th 



stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been 
taught, whether by woru or our epistle." — {Thessalonians 2, 15.) 



